Nan Zhijin was ordered to return to Beijing and arrived in Luoyang a few days earlier than the emperor. Here, he met with Jiang Juying, the Minister of War.
The two chatted for almost an hour and broke up unhappily. If only looking at the expression, Jiang Juying seemed to be even more dissatisfied.
Nan Zhijin stayed in Luoyang for one night, and returned to the capital the next morning.
This is the information collected by Jing Yao. He is indeed an expert at gathering intelligence, and the stalls are getting bigger and bigger, especially in the capital and Luoyang, where there are many eyeliners, and all the expenses will be borne by the Shaofu.
Jing Yao is very cautious. He rarely appears around the emperor and does not contact other ministers. He used to have many friends in the court when he was the supervisor of the Central Division, but now they have all cut off contact. He is very clear that he has not received the emperor's letter Complete trust and more credit is the most important thing at the moment.
Han Ruzi did not trust the old eunuch very much, but he relied on the information obtained by Jing Yao, even if it was just a few words, it was helpful to him.
However, Han Ruzi paid little attention to the information in the capital. The emperor was absent, and the ministers who stayed behind frequently exchanged with each other, but lost the value of speculation.
Too much information is better than no information. What Yang Feng said, Han Ruzi always remembered in his heart.
On the afternoon of the day when the court discussed whether Chai Yue should be appointed as the chief Sima of the Southern Army, Han Ruzi summoned Jiang Juying.
Jiang Juying dressed in plain clothes and did not wear an official hat. When entering the hall, he knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor.
He is indeed guilty. The amount and transfer of troops stationed in various places must be reported to the Ministry of War. If he claims that he does not know that a large number of soldiers have been turned into private slaves, it is really unreasonable.
There were not many people around the emperor, only two eunuchs and two guards. Although Jiang Juying admitted guilt, he also found an excuse for himself.
"Sinners can't do anything either. The garrisoned troops in various places are controlled by the local noble families, and the officials appointed by the imperial court are just empty positions. For example, the garrison in the East China Sea is controlled by the Yan family, and the commander is the same servant. It is too strict, the family is dissatisfied, and when the capital is stabbed, the Ministry of War has to bear the accusation of doing nothing wrong.
Jiang Juying didn't dare to go into too much detail, but Han Ruzi already understood and asked, "How many years has Mr. Jiang been in the military department?"
"It's been more than ten years." Jiang Juying said vaguely. His justification was actually putting the blame on the previous emperors.
"So, do you support me in taking back the military slaves?"
"Support, of course, support. If things go on like this, only the capital and frontier troops can fight in Da Chu. It's enough to deal with minor troubles. It's really a big deal. I'm afraid that we won't be able to recruit usable troops for a while."
"Master Jiang can think of this, and I feel very relieved. Ask, how many soldiers and slaves have been misappropriated in Jiang's family?"
Jiang Juying did not get up, and kowtowed again at this time, "The sinner did not dare to hide anything. He has embezzled more than a thousand people before and after, and they have all been released to the team, and they can choose to be soldiers or farmers."
Han Ruzi nodded, which was similar to what he had learned. "Master Jiang has been in charge of the Ministry of Military Affairs for many years. Tell me, when did the style of appropriation of soldiers and slaves arise, and why is it difficult to cure?"
Jiang Juying raised his head and glanced at the emperor, and found that it was different from what he had imagined. The emperor seemed not to be particularly annoyed, but extremely calm, but made him even more uneasy.
"As far as I know... I have to plead guilty first, and only after receiving His Majesty's forgiveness can I dare to say anything."
"No matter what you say today, I will pardon you."
"The sinful minister is grateful. As far as the minister knows, this trend started with Emperor He, but it was a good intention at the beginning."
"Oh, be careful."
Emperor He is the son of Emperor Lie and the father of Emperor Wu.
Jiang Juying kowtowed again, "During Emperor Lie's reign, Da Chu fought several wars, the number of troops doubled, and Emperor He succeeded, and he intended to recuperate, but he could not immediately modify the order of the first emperor, so he made some adjustments and sent a large number of soldiers to build cities in various places. The embankment was repaired, and the Mausoleum of Emperor Hedi was also built by soldiers, so that the number of soldiers was not reduced, but the civilian power was rarely used, and the best of both worlds."
"It was really good intentions, but why did it change later?"
"In the time of Emperor Wu, the number of troops increased again, and when the Huns split, there was nothing to do in Chu, but the lieutenants and soldiers could not be dismissed immediately, so I picked up the old example, Emperor Wu... I prefer the palace garden, and many manors of noble families happen to be nearby. Soldiers borrowed it when they are free. Because no one has been taking care of it, this wind has intensified, and it has finally become the trend it is today."
"So that's the case." Han Ruzi suddenly thought that he was somewhat similar to the Emperor, both of which were inherited from the past, hoping to restore the people's and national strength through recuperation. This was a good intention, but it could cause serious trouble in future generations.
Han Ruzi accepted refugees into the army before, and handed over the southern and northern armies to the same person, I am afraid it will become a practice in future generations.
Han Ruzi thought about these things first, and said, "Mr. Jiang has served in the Ministry of War for a long time, and it is time to change his position."
Although Jiang Juying came to plead guilty, he was still surprised when he heard this sentence, thinking that the emperor would deal with him, he knelt down again and again, "The minister's crime deserves ten thousand death, only His Majesty punishes, the minister does not ask..."
"Don't misunderstand Mr. Jiang, what I mean is that the General's House has always been short of people, and Mr. Jiang may be able to fill the gap."
Jiang Juying had never guessed the emperor's intentions, and this sentence shocked him the most, so much so that he was speechless for a long time.
Although the general is a vacant post, but at the first rank, it is the best home for military attachés who have no chance to take over as prime minister.
But the position of general is usually held by military generals and Xungui, usually the elders of the clan. It was only because of marriage that he became connected with the big family, and he was the general, which was even more unconventional than Chai Yue who was in charge of the southern and northern armies at the same time.
"This... Your Majesty... Is this wrong? There is no precedent for a civilian to take over as a general in this dynasty." Jiang Juying responded carefully, thinking that the emperor was testing himself.
"That's not the case. It's better than this. Master Jiang first practiced in the army, and after making contributions, it is logical to take over the post of general."
Jiang Juying was taken aback and hurriedly said: "I would like to charge for His Majesty, but... it's just that I am a civil official with a background as a scholar, and I have followed literature since I was a child. The formation of the formation and the decisive decision, the minister dare not boast, it is indeed not as good as an ordinary general."
"You don't need to go to the battlefield, go to the General's Mansion first, take charge of the military talisman, inspect the garrisoned troops in various places, and be sure to distinguish clearly, the soldiers are soldiers and the people are the people, and they should not be confused. It is better to reduce the scale and never deal with imaginary numbers. You can do it. ?"
Jiang Juying finally understood that the so-called general is just a bait, the emperor is making himself the vanguard of confrontation with the courtiers, and the reward is only after the success.
"I am only afraid of... I am afraid of..."
"What are you afraid of?"
"I'm just afraid that I'm clumsy and incompetent, doing things that don't suit Your Majesty's wishes, but will delay His Majesty's important affairs."
"Well... Then you can make a military order. If you can't be fair and selfless, what should you do?"
Jiang Juying was startled again, the emperor seemed calm on the surface, but he actually led himself into the pit step by step, burying him alive without saying anything, and even stamped a few feet on it to make it more firm.
Jiang Juying kept kowtowing, "Your Majesty forgive me, I can't... I really can't help..."
"That would be a bit of a hassle." Han Ruzi was neither angry nor forced, "My original intention is to let Lord Jiang investigate the case, and I know the seriousness of the case. If you don't want to, I can't force it, so I have to hand over this task to me. Censor's desk."
Jiang Juying's face changed suddenly. Once the case was handed over to the Censor's Desk, the first thing to do is to investigate from the Ministry of War and him. Although everyone is in the same hall, the relationship is good, but if the emperor pushes too hard, no one will protect him.
"There is a person named Song He in Hu County, who speaks out without restraint, claiming that he has a very good personal relationship with Mr. Jiang, and this person is now locked up in the East China Sea..."
"The sinner recognizes Song He, this person is a shameless person, and his words cannot be trusted. The sinner has only a few ties with him, and has no personal friendship." Jiang Juying regretted it too much, and Nan Zhijin persuaded him when he met, saying The emperor wanted to show off his skills in Luoyang, he had better find a way to retreat bravely, but Jiang Juying still had the thought of just in case, thinking that he could ask the emperor's forgiveness and continue to stay in the court.
He can indeed stay in the court and may even be promoted, but at an unexpectedly huge price.
"The minister wants to understand that it is nothing more than giving up his life and fighting to the death. The minister watched the soldiers of the Great Chu become slaves, and the minister should also restore the decline. The minister is willing to issue a military order. If... "
"What about the deadline?"
"Three years."
Han Ruzi raised a finger, "One year, next year today, I want to see the effect."
Jiang Juying kowtowed to lead the order. The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it, but he didn't dare to bring it up. Suddenly, he remembered something and said, "Your Majesty, there is one thing this minister needs to clarify first."
"you say."
"Turning soldiers into slaves and privately holding domestic slaves are two different things. The minister only takes back the soldier slaves, and doesn't care about other private slaves."
"Of course, privately owned domestic slaves are not registered, and should be investigated and dealt with by the Ministry of Households. Mr. Jiang only cares about soldiers and slaves."
Jiang Juying breathed a sigh of relief and kowtowed to thank him.
Han Ruzi waved his hand and signaled a eunuch to prepare a pen, ink, paper and inkstone, "Since it is a military order, please write it down, Mr. Jiang."
The eunuch spread the paper on the ground, Jiang Juying was kneeling and writing, her hands were shaking, and she wrote a few hundred words for a while.
When he finally finished writing, the eunuch brought the ink pad again, and Jiang Juying pressed his handprint on it just like signing a contract.
The eunuch general's order was delivered to the emperor, Han Ruzi read it and was satisfied, "Master Jiang understands why I asked you to write this order?"
"The minister understands that the minister's responsibility is very heavy, and it is inevitable to offend others. The more severe your majesty is, the better the minister will speak when he enforces the law."
"It's good to understand." Han Ruzi smiled and nodded.
Both the monarch and the minister know that this is not a superficial article. If Jiang Juying really fails to complete the task, the emperor will punish him according to the military order, and Jiang Juying will suffer the disaster of annihilation.
Han Ruzi's face froze, "Jiang Juying, whether to end well as a general, or to pass down the annals of history as a sinner, all of them are here, you can do it yourself."
Jiang Juying's trembling voice should be, his whole body has collapsed.
Of course Han Ruzi wanted to divide the ministers, but he had his own choice, instead of waiting for someone like Yuan Jiuding to take the initiative to send him to the door.
Han Ruzi now needs a new Minister of War.